Chapter 38
38
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T he ballroom looks like a tornado came through it. The black silk cloth draped across the ceiling is hanging limply. Flowering vines have shriveled. Candles still flicker, but at least half of them have blown out. I could relight them but I don’t feel like making the effort.
The coven dragged their asses out of here looking exhausted, defeated, and many of them bloodied. I know the feeling. There’s nothing like learning you’ve been betrayed by someone who was supposed to have your best interest in mind.
Ambrose, Stellan, and Odie organized a group of witches to take the coven council to their respective houses. Once there, the plan is to put a spell on their homes, basically locking them under house arrest. The magic will need to be refreshed every few days, but until we can figure out what to do with the corrupt council, it will have to suffice.
Roman and Josephine are comforting Piper, who hasn’t recovered from whatever happened to her up on that stage. I still don’t understand why she robotically went to her uncle as if she couldn’t fight his command. Josephine found a first aid kit from somewhere and is cleaning Piper’s arm before she heals it with her magic.
Ava’s standing in the middle of the ballroom, staring down at her hand. I step up behind her and wrap my arms around her. Her head leans back against my chest. She’s kicked off her shoes and slots perfectly under my chin. I don’t know why I got the mark, but she hasn’t, because she’s my fated bond.
“You deserve so much better.” My statement is layered with meaning. Ava deserves more than this coven, more than the way she’s been treated by her family, more than me. “I don’t deserve you, but I will spend the rest of my life trying to prove that I’m worthy.”
Ava spins around, her mouth pressed into an angry line.
“Fuck off.” Ava sniffles, and then throws her arms around my shoulders. “I don’t know why you have a mark and I don’t, but you’re worth loving. And if your fated bond is some other witch who was here tonight, then tough shit. You’re not getting rid of me. I love you, and I’m never wrong, just so you know. Make of that what you will.”
I chuckle and cradle her cheek. “A mark doesn’t matter. It can’t begin to compare with how I feel inside. You are my partner in every way, my equal, a love fated just for each other. I love you, for now and for always, mark or not.” I level her with a steely gaze. “But if I ever find that creepy doll in my house again, I will get revenge.”
Ava snorts, and I capture her lips in a soul searing kiss. Ava pulls back, her eyes wide and lips parted on a gasp.
“What is it?”
She holds up her hand. Black inky vines are twining around her finger, a perfect match to mine. “What? Why now? Why not twenty minutes ago?” she snarls at her finger like it can answer her back.
A cane taps heavily on the ground. Fitz slowly makes her way over to the two of us. I didn’t even know she was here tonight. “Get out of my way,” she snaps at a few witches still lingering in the ballroom. She's wearing a jumpsuit, but there are sequins across the chest spelling princess. She’s not wearing a mask, but she does have a small tiara crookedly perched on her head.
Are those real diamonds?
Fitz whacks someone in the back of the knee when they don’t get out of the way fast enough and finally comes to a stop in front of us. She’s so short that even Ava has to angle her head down to look at the witch.
“That was your fault.” Fitz picks up Ava’s inked hand and waves it around.
“How is this my fault?” Ava snatches her hand back, pressing it to her heart.
“He was all in. Shocker. I thought he’d fight his feelings till the grave.” Fitz stabs her cane in my direction. I jump back out of the cane’s trajectory, pulling Ava with me.
Fitz watches with a piercing gaze. “You didn’t believe you were worthy. Literally self-sabotage. I hope that’s a lesson learned. Believe in yourself. If you don’t think you’re worth it, no one else will.”
I never imagined Fitz praising me, but it’s been a strange night.
“Why are you even here? I thought you didn’t participate in coven events?” I frown at the old woman. While I agree with what she’s saying, I don’t appreciate the tone.
Fitz lifts one eyebrow. “I had a good feeling about tonight.”
The coven is in shambles. They didn’t finalize the ritual, thank the Crone, but it certainly revealed a small portion of the shit the council has been doing. I’m sure we’ll find out more, but tonight was enough to piss off a lot of people. As well as permanently shift the power dynamics of the town.
Morty walks into the ballroom as if he’s just joining the party. He’s wearing some kind of black feathered cape that forms a collar around his neck, like a dark bird god. Everything else on his body is leather. He’s not actually wearing a mask, but has black paint smeared across his eyes and rhinestones stuck to his temples.
“Just so everyone is aware, Lucida is in the supply closet. She was spelled and knocked out. I gave her a reviving potion and she should be up any minute now.” Morty picks up a glass of champagne and sniffs it before tossing the whole thing back.
Josephine has her arm linked with Piper as they walk in our direction. Roman is at their backs, his eyes scanning the room as if waiting for the next attack. There are only a handful of people left, so I don't know if he’s expecting a threat to burst up through the floor. At this point, anything could happen.
Fitz drags her cane through a mark on the floor. It’s one of the runes that was glowing when the coven tried to do the ritual. A snarl lifts the corner of her lip. “I can’t believe the fools tried to do this in front of the whole coven. And I can’t believe none of you idiots knew what these meant.”
“They’re ancient runes.” I frown.
“No education. The lot of you.” Fitz shakes her head.
“I suppose they thought the mass congregation of witches would boost the ritual. This time, it wouldn’t rebound onto all of them. They were wrong, but an interesting theory.” Morty picks up another glass that has lipstick smears on the rim and hands it to me, clinking his own drink against it. “Cheers to you, my love. I did mention how you weren’t using the elixir as frequently in the past month. I’m surprised you didn’t figure this out earlier.”
I set the dirty glass of champagne on a nearby table and frown at the shopkeeper. “Did you know?”
“Anyone with eyes could tell.” Fitz thumps her cane on the ground.
“Could tell what?” my brother asks as he joins the circle we formed in the middle of the ballroom.
“That these two idiots had a fated bond,” Fitz says nonchalantly, as if this isn’t one of the most incredible moments of my life. My arm is wrapped around Ava’s waist and she’s leaning into my side. It’s been a long, crazy night, but if this is the ending we get, it’s all worth it.
Roman, Piper, and Josephine all gasp and rush in. Josephine grabs Ava’s hand and stares down at the inky mark on her ring finger. I hold mine up to show my brother and he pulls me in for a hug, clapping me so hard in the back there will probably be a bruise tomorrow.
The girls are hugging each other. Ava finds me over the top of their heads, tears shining in her eyes. She mouths the words this is nuts and grins at me.